News from the Week

By Heather Vaughan, January 31st, 2009 at 5:00 am (Book Reviews, Uncategorized)

I felt compelled to share some of these valuable links from last week with WT readers:

• Lagerfeld Confidential, the documentary on Karl, airs on the Sundance Channel on February 9th at 7pm EST to coincide with Fashion Week. (Fashionista)
• The Bank of England held a “Dress for Success” day, where they sent out a memo to female employees detailing just how they should dress for success (heels and makeup required). (The Cut: New York Magazine’s Blog)
• Book Report: Textile Designers At The Cutting Edge (JC Report)
• The Director of Vintage Couture and Accessories at Leslie Hindman Auctioneers was interviewed. These are the folks who auctioned off Leona Helmsley’s clothing and accessories (Debutante Blog)
• The Parsons Costume Shop was profiled in a video (Threadbanger)
• The Metropolitan Museum of Arts Director talks about the future of the Museum (Guardian)
• Architecture and Design Department curators at California museums talk about how they’re adapting. (Architect’s Newspaper)

Hope these notes give your brain some tickling. Feel free to post your comments about any of these stories below. I’m especially interested to hear your thoughts on The Bank of London’s draconian display of male chauvinism.

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On Teaching Fashion: Students and the Economy

By Lauren Michel, January 30th, 2009 at 5:00 am (Teaching)

We all know it:  the worldwide economy is down.  For an American community college instructor like me, that means both good and bad changes for my campus.  My state’s budget is facing a huge deficit, which in turn impacts my college’s budget.  However, on the bright side, as happens in an economic downturn, enrollment has increased. 

One of the hallmarks of community college is its accessibility.  The tuition is relatively low and just about everyone who applies is accepted, regardless of ability.  When the economy cycles down, enrollments increase when, after months of unsuccessful job hunting, unemployed workers step in a new direction and come to community college to learn new skills, perhaps earn a certificate or  two-year associate’s degree, or transfer to a university to complete a baccalaureate degree.  When those unemployed workers learn new skills and find new career paths, this helps stimulate economic recovery. 

What about those students who are recent high school graduates, or are new college students in another phase of their lives?  Take a moment to imagine the impact of the economic downturn on college and university students.  For those of you teachers out there, think of your own new students who struggle through school.  For those of you former students, recall for a moment what it was like to be a new student going through the process of learning how to navigate college and university life.  Now picture yourself losing your job because your employer went out of business, or losing your home or apartment because your landlord was in foreclosure (and having law enforcement tell you that you and your family have 10 days to vacate the premises).  Then try finding a new job, or a new place to live, in today’s economic climate.  And maintain your grade point average at the same time.

Now that you have that picture of life for students these days, imagine what their instructors’ responses should be if their students need to miss or reschedule exams, turn in homework late, or miss classes.  Should we tell them they need to learn to work around their off-campus life and make no accommodations for them?  Or do we provide them with reasonable extra help?  Often, students are too shy to ask for help, or if they do, their instructors are not sympathetic.  What often makes the difference in whether a student is persistent in pursuing their education and succeeding is one professor taking a few small moments to have a little empathy for them.  It only takes a small portion of our time.  It really is so small, and makes such a difference.  We can do it.   

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I passed my oral exam! But almost died….

By Monica Sklar, January 29th, 2009 at 4:19 pm (Academic Research & Related, Uncategorized)

Ok so the good news is that I passed my prelim oral exam (second time around sort of…long story…the first time in December my topic was too broad and so this was a re-do of sorts in order refine it and split the larger subject into multiple research projects–and I was given only a few weeks to do it). So, this “take II” went fab, and I’m almost all set to hit the public and start researching!

But, the crazy part (as if having to rethink it over a short period of time isn’t mind-numbing enough) is that I got the stomach flu that morning. Bad. Ugly. I rarely get sick, I never get the flu shots as I haven’t had the flu in about ten years. My allergies and asthma as rough, and I’ve got a bad back, but those things are mostly managebale. There is no way to manage the stomach flu. It manages you.

I thought it might be nerves, but honestly the new draft was so reworked and refined that I wasn’t really worried. So, after it sped up instead of slowing down I realized about two hours before the exam this was going to be big trouble. At that point though it was too late, so I emailed the committee, told them to expect the worst but that I’d still show up, and dragged myself into some jeans, an army jacket, and a pony tail, and headed over to school (this is really a business casual-business formal affair and I figured a concert t was my best effort under the circumstances). That is when I proceeded to spend every minute leading up to the exam on the floor of the school building’s bathroom. Yeah, that’s attractive, and so soothing when it comes time to take an incredibly significant exam.

Plus, apparently the room we were in was cold that morning, and so the meeting before us cranked the heat to 85 (!) and shut the door, creating what seemed like a steam room. After we got the temp regulated and my adrenaline started pumping things seemed to be ok for the entire 1.5 hours which was a miracle. I then proceeded to go home and be sick for about 5 days. But, hey, who cares, I’m ABD now!!

Someone else has to have a crazy exam story–let’s hear it–it’ll make me feel better. Although, I’ve got a good sense of humor about my story, since I passed and all. Had I not passed it’d probably be a different mood….

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Exhibition: Chic Chicago

By Monica Sklar, January 29th, 2009 at 5:00 am (Exhibitions, Uncategorized)

Chic Chicago: Couture Treasures from the Chicago History Museum
September 27, 2008, through July 26, 2009

From its inception, Chicago was cast as a crude and grimy upstart, a place of blood and smoke, congestion and pollution. Chicago’s negative reputations—Hog Butcher for the World, Gangland, Second City—persist today, captured in popular culture.

Eager to overcome this gritty reputation, generations of Chicago women turned to the glamour of couture. Fashion, they believed, was the most dramatic way to prove Chicago’s beauty and sophistication.

Chic Chicago presents the hallmarks of modern fashion. The exhibition’s extraordinary garments date from 1861 to 2004 and represent the most prominent couturiers of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Each gown has a strong connection to Chicago and belongs to the Museum’s permanent collection.

Click here for details.

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Museum of the City of New York (part 1)

By Heather Vaughan, January 28th, 2009 at 5:00 am (Exhibitions, History of Dress, Uncategorized)

While I was in Manhattan earlier this month, I had the opportunity to visit the Museum of the City of New York and see several of their exhibitions. One of them was Paris/New York: Design/Fashion/Culture/1925-1940 (on view through February 22). The exhibit included furniture, decorative arts, graphic design, paintings and a selection of fashion and accessories that really distilled the art deco style in these two cities. The fashion section of the exhibit highlighted Coco Chanel, Paul Poiret, Mainbocher, Valentina, Hattie Carnegie, and Traina-Norell, among others.

Here are some photos from the exhibition.

First is the ‘Tricolour’ gown (1939) by Chanel, worn by Mrs. Harrison Williams. It was from the last collection Chanel designed before closing her couture salon at the start of World War II. – Note the patriotic colors of the French flag.

Designed by Mainbocher and made in Paris, it was sold at Saks Fifth Avenue’s Salon Modern in the late 1930s.

Worn by Gertrude Lawrence in the promotion of the Broadway play Susan and Gold in 1937, it was designed by Hattie Carnegie.

This polka-dot gown was designed by Sophie Gimbel and sold at Saks in the mid-1930s.

Fabric panel designed by Edgar Brandt

Lord & Taylor Wedding gown, 1934.

I end with a wedding dress to let you know that I got engaged during my trip to New York – but I’ll try to not let it influence my postings too much.

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Job: PROFESSOR OF ACCESSORY DESIGN

By Monica Sklar, January 27th, 2009 at 5:00 am (Uncategorized)

*This is a fun job that was recently posted

SAVANNAH COLLEGE OF ART AND DESIGN
PROFESSOR OF ACCESSORY DESIGN

The Savannah College of Art and Design is seeking candidates for a full-time faculty position in accessory design and other related courses in fashion design. Qualified candidates should have the terminal degree or its equivalent in accessory design or a related field. Technical experience in design theory, pattern making, millinery, footwear, or costume jewelry is advantageous. College-level teaching experience preferred.

To apply online, please submit curriculum vitae, samples of own and student’s work (if applicable), and an unofficial copy of the transcript showing your highest degree. Here is the website.

Note: Only complete packages will be considered. An unofficial transcript of the highest degree awarded is required. Applicants have the option to upload electronic documents and a URL address for online portfolios during the online application process.

If an electronic copy of your highest transcript is not available, please include a cover letter which references the position you are applying for, and mail to:
Savannah College of Art and Design
Attn: HR- Savannah Faculty
P.O. Box 3146
Savannah, GA 31402-3146

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On Teaching Fashion: The Obama Administration Goes to College

By Lauren Michel, January 23rd, 2009 at 5:00 am (Teaching)

1. The creation of the American Opportunity Tax Credit; and
2. Simplification of the application process for financial aid. 

According to WhiteHouse.gov, The American Opportunity Tax Credit ensures that the first $4000 of a college education is “completely free for most Americans, and will cover two-thirds the cost of tuition at the average public college or university and make community college tuition completely free for most students.”  Considering that community college tuition in California, where I teach, is about $500 per semester, they’re right to say it would be completely free for “most” students.  In other states, where the tuition is much higher (California is known for having relatively low community college tuition), it could be different.  With the economy in the condition it is in, enrollment has increased accordingly at my institution.  One can only imagine what the new tax credit would do for enrollments.  Did I mention that recipients of the credit would be required to complete 100 hours of community service?  One can only imagine what the new tax credit would do for our communities. 

Second on the list of topics relevant to Higher Education on the Obama Administration’s agenda is the simplification of the application process for financial aid.  As a college and university graduate who navigated the process myself as first, my parents’ dependent, second, a single adult, and third, as a married adult, and further, as a recipient of some very poor misinformation from both federal employees on the US Department of Education’s toll-free help line and the financial aid officers at one of the universities I attended, I can say with firsthand experience that the system is ready to be simplified.  

Obama and Biden propose eliminating the current federal financial aid application (commonly referred to as the FAFSA) entirely, and enabling families to apply simply by checking a box on their tax form.  Hallelujah!  It doesn’t get much simpler than that.  

While I’m not sure exactly how simple it will be to execute the new administration’s new ideas, they do sound like positive changes to the lives of American students and America’s future students.

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Post your rejected abstract on WT??

By Monica Sklar, January 22nd, 2009 at 5:39 pm (Uncategorized)

Over time I would like WT to develop more of an ability to be a place for discussion and promotion of ideas within the field of dress studies. We try, and on some level achieve a lot of the goals I’ve set for the blog, but there are a lot of directions we could go and grow.

So, one idea I’d like to offer up is this:

Have you recently submitted a dress-related abstract to a conference and it was rejected? Do you still think it’s a good piece and really want to share it with others to promote your ideas and promote discussion of the topic? Why not send it to WT and we’ll put the abstract on the blog.* Then people can comment and offer up their thoughts. Of course you’ll be credited, not us.

(*WT does reserve the right not to publish all things that are sent to us )

The reason I said rejected ones is because accepted abstracts obviously will get their day in the sun with a poster, presentation, and possibly published in proceedings. But I know from experience that not everything gets accepted.

Sometimes it is not an indicator of lack of quality, but perhaps it was slightly off-theme for the conference, they had tons of submissions, or even those mysterious political reasons. Other times it is sort of a quality issue but not necessarily about content, it’s just under developed. Using the comments area of WT could serve as a way for people to help you shape your work.

If no one likes this idea that’s fine, we just won’t get any submissions. But, hey, I thought I’d offer it as an option.

Hope to hear from you.

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Inauguration fashion re-cap

By Monica Sklar, January 22nd, 2009 at 5:21 pm (Uncategorized)

Well it’s been two days since Obama took office and of course it would have been fitting for us here at WT to do a fashion special. But, everyone else was doing one (we even got requests for quotes), not to mention, the next day was my first day of classes (both teaching and taking). So, I skipped it.

We’ve written quite a bit about Obama fashion over the election period–if you type OBAMA into WT’s search engine you’ll find a lot of info about political style, the flag pin issue, Tom’s shoes, and more.

So, I’ll just add two things for this week:

1.) I liked Aretha’s hat. Yeah maybe I’m biased since we’re both Detroiter’s and I used to see her at the grocery store, but still, I thought it was good for the occasion, and even tasteful since it was a gray/green. Perhaps a giant bow in hot pink would have been a bit much anywhere other than a summer wedding, but the neutral color I thought allowed for a little fun in the design. It was a celebration after all! Plus, I almost always applaud a bold style choice over something mundane. Also, although the hat received a lot of jokes and disdain, the designers of the Detroit-made piece received calls from all over the world requesting it immediately.

2.) RUN DC is my new favorite Obama related design item. I haven’t bought one yet, but am seriously considering it as it rocks. I’m not really one for silly t’s, but I fully admit it, it’s clever.

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Stephen Sprouse Exhibit

By Monica Sklar, January 22nd, 2009 at 5:00 am (Exhibitions)

January 09, 2009 — February 28, 2009
Deitch Projects Gallery
18 Wooster Street, New York

Rock on Mars, a retrospective exhibition of the work of Stephen Sprouse, will transform Deitch Projects’s 18 Wooster Street gallery into a realization of Sprouse’s rock and roll futuristic vision.

Stephen Sprouse (1953-2004) was one of the most influential fashion designers of his time and a key figure in the dynamic mix of punk rock, wild style graffiti, and street influenced fashion that characterized the downtown New York community in the early 1980s. He was one of the first to build on the influence of Andy Warhol to create a fusion of art, music and fashion. He continued on a course that disavowed any division among these fields throughout his career.

The exhibition will introduce Sprouse’s extraordinary pop-influenced paintings to the larger art audience. His paintings of iconic rock and roll imagery including stacks of loudspeakers, Sid Vicious with his pants down, and an Iggy Pop crucifixion, have rarely been seen. The show will also include a selection of the video works made to accompany his runway shows, examples of his fabric and furniture design for Knoll, and fifty of his most influential fashion looks.

In conjunction with the exhibition project, Marc Jacobs has created a new collection for Louis Vuitton, inspired by Sprouse’s famous collaboration with Louis Vuitton in 2001, which featured the classic monogram bag scrawled with Stephen Sprouse graffiti. The new limited edition Stephen Sprouse – Louis Vuitton collection will be available in Louis Vuitton stores worldwide from January 9, 2009, the opening date of the exhibition.

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